Written By: Melissa Sullivan
I’m excited to share that I’ve officially earned my Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification!
In the fast-paced industry of technical consulting, effective project leadership is more than just keeping timelines and budgets in check, it’s about delivering value at every phase of the project lifecycle. At srcLogic, we implement tailored solutions using low-code platforms, and that means managing shifting requirements, tight deadlines, and high client expectations.
The PMP Certification offered me the opportunity to deepen my understanding of project management best practices and bring that knowledge back to srcLogic. Earning it not only validates years of hands-on experience, it also equips me with formal frameworks for managing scope, time, cost, quality, risk, and most importantly stakeholder communication.
The Certification Journey
Here’s what the path to PMP® certification looked like:
- Experience requirements: You need a minimum of 3 years of project management experience. I documented several years of leading project management related activities across the various projects I have been a part of.
- Project management education: You are required to obtain 35 credit hours before you can apply to take the exam. I completed a 35 hour formal training class with the Agility Academy.
- Submitting the application: You must document your project management experience as well as your educational credits in your application. It takes approximately a week for your application to be reviewed once submitted. Your application must be approved in order to sign up for the exam.
- Studying for the exam: I found the PMP Exam Prep Simplified by Andrew Ramdayal extremely helpful in studying. I read it through a few times and took the practice exams. It also comes with a 35 hours E-Learning course which you can use as your 35 credit hours needed for your application.
- Passing the exam: The 180 question exam is designed to test how you think and respond in real-world project scenarios—not just how well you memorize facts.
What This Means for My Work
It is often overlooked how crucial a technically fluent Program Manager is to the success of delivering a software implementation project. As someone who has a background in development, I have noticed it has enhanced my project management skills in a multitude of ways.
- I can anticipate common technical pitfalls before they happen, enabling proactive risk management strategies.
- I can hold informed technical conversations and ask the right questions during standups and code reviews, as well as provide pushback on unrealistic expectations with more credibility.
- I have a more accurate understanding of the level of effort it requires to complete a task, which prevents under or over scoping work.
- I can bridge the gap between business and technical stakeholders, ensuring that requirements are not just well-documented, but well-understood.
- I can spot when a business request will lead to unnecessary complexity or when a seemingly small change has large downstream impacts.
- I understand the long-term implications of technical debt and can advocate for or against shortcuts with a clear view of project goals.
- I have a more accurate execution of Agile activities. I see velocity not just as a metric, but as a reflection of real work. This can help ensure that user stories are appropriately sized, acceptance criteria are meaningful, and sprints are achievable.
My technical background has shaped how I view the role of project management. Instead of just being a facilitator, I am someone who can connect strategy to execution, lead with technical empathy, and make smarter, faster, and more aligned decisions throughout the project lifecycle.
Looking Ahead
If you are considering the PMP, I’d be happy to chat about the process, what helped me pass, and how it’s already influencing the way I lead projects.